Superstition takes backseat: UP CM Adityanath to visit Noida defying 29-year-old ‘jinx’

The superstition of no serving chief minister visiting Noida dates back to June 1988 when the then CM Veer Bahadur Singh was asked to step down by the central leadership after just having returned from Noida.
NOIDA: Defying the 29-year-long jinx, a serving Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister will visit Noida on Saturday. UP CM Yogi Adityanath is visiting the millennium city to review the security arrangements ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to inaugurate Noida’s first interchange station of the Delhi Metro.
UP cabinet minister Sidharth Nath Singh said that there is no place for superstition when it comes to working for development. “The UP CM going to Lucknow to fulfill the ambitions of people of the state. Superstition has no place here,” Singh said.
The superstition of no serving chief minister visiting Noida dates back to June 1988 when the then CM Veer Bahadur Singh was asked to step down by the central leadership after just having returned from Noida.
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati braved the superstition during her term as chief minister between 2007 and 2012 and attended programmes organised by the state government in Noida and did not return to power.
Adityanath’s predecessor Akhilesh Yadav stayed away from Noida. He gave a miss to the Asian Development Bank Summit organised in Noida in May 2013 despite the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being present there as a chief guest. Akhilesh Yadav launched Rs 3,300 crore development projects, including access to six-lane Yamuna Expressway, through video link from Lucknow.
Before him, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Kalyan Singh and Rajnath Singh also avoided attending events in Noida.
Adityanath will reach Noida on Saturday and after inspecting various sites would visit the public rally site. He would hold meetings with district officials and seek details of the progress of development works in the city. He would also meet BJP workers and address them.
Around 1,300 police and paramilitary personnels have been deployed for Adityanath’s security during his visit. Over 5,000 police and paramilitary personnels would be deployed for Modis visit on Monday.